Reservoir Fish Habitat Management

Book excerpt: This document is organized into an introduction and 13 sections. Section 1 is based on a nationwide survey of reservoir habitats completed by the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership (RFHP). The RFHP canvassed agency professionals about various aspects of reservoir fish habitat degradation, and identified 12 comprehensive factors that captured most degradation. The sections developed in this document parallel these 12 factors to identify management practices that address the perceived degradation. Most sections are organized similarly: background information about the degradation factor is followed by a listing of alternative management practices. Deciding on appropriate management action can be complex because there are often several options for addressing degradation problems. Different options may have different cost, effectiveness, and consequences. A simplified decision model to choose among management options is suggested in section 12. Habitat management often goes far beyond the manpower available to agencies involved in reservoir habitat management, so suggestions on working with stakeholders are included in section 13. Ballpark costs of reservoir fish habitat management practices are given in the Appendix.